Calvert Foundation’s Diaspora Investment Initiatives

In honor of Global Diaspora Week 2015, Calvert Foundation hosted an online session to discuss its work in the diaspora space. The webinar took place on Wednesday, October 14 at 1:00 PM EST with over 30 attendees tuning in from different regions of the world.

The webinar kicked off with a discussion of Calvert Foundation’s investment activities and how individuals can get involved, and concluded with a walk-through of our diaspora investment initiatives in India and Latin America and Calvert Foundation’s proprietary platform, Vested.org, through which the diaspora can become investors for their countries of heritage. Through Vested.org, anyone can invest in communities they care about for as little as $20.

About the diaspora initiatives:
The India Investment Initiative (III) is your opportunity to support the growth of social enterprises in India, businesses that reduce poverty and benefit society on a multitude of levels. Over the next two years, Calvert Foundation will make up to $10 million in loans to Indian investment funds and financial institutions. These institutions in turn will lend to social enterprises operating in sectors such as healthcare, education, clean energy, financial inclusion, agriculture, and more throughout India. The India Investment Initiative was created in response to the demonstrated need for funding to grow and scale small businesses in India, as well as the Indian diasporas’ desire to contribute to development in India. #investinindia

Through the Raíces Initiative, investors can help create economic growth and opportunity throughout the Americas. Raíces means “Roots” in Spanish and through this initiative, Calvert Foundation seeks to engage people living in the U.S. who have strong roots here at home, as well as in communities throughout Latin America, to invest for a social and a financial return. An investment in Raíces helps fund Calvert Foundation’s loans to organizations that provide affordable housing, healthcare, education, and small business loans in Latin America and serve Latino communities in the U.S. Earn returns of up to 3% while invirtiendo en lo tuyo, allá y acá. #bepartedelasolution

Our partners at the Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships at the U.S. Department of State tune in for Calvert Foundation’s webinar during GDW.

Patrick Davis is a Senior Officer on the Investor Relations Team, where he works with investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and philanthropic institutions to incorporate social and environmental impact into investment portfolios.

Katherine St. Onge is a Senior Officer on the Investor Relations team. She is responsible for managing relationship with investors and financial advisors to increase their understanding of Calvert Foundation’s products and services.

Nish Acharya is the Director of the India Investment Initiative, as well as a Senior Advisor to Northeastern University, a Senior Fellow for the Center for American Progress and a Columnist for Forbes Media.

Sara Yousefnejad Gallagher is the Program Officer for IdEA (the International diaspora Engagement Alliance), the public/private partnership Calvert Foundation manages with U.S. Department of State and USAID.